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Map Miscreant
Edward Forbes Smiley III, of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, was caught in June 2005 leaving Yale’s Beinecke Library with five of its rare maps in his briefcase and tweed jacket. A surveillance camera had captured him removing a map (valued at $150,000) …
Issue: September-October 2006
The Gardens at Elm Bank “Get People Growing”
At its blooming best during the summer, Weezie’s Garden for Children is an enchanting place for all ages. Stroll through the arched entrance of sculpted twigs, and wind along paths through this pollinators’ haven. Climb a tree-house tower, dig in the …
Issue: July-August 2021
“Joyous Protest Posters”
The lobby of Houghton Library—Harvard’s repository for rare books and manuscripts (as well as theatre and performing arts archives)—greets visitors with streaks of midnight blues, electric yellows, and blood reds. Displayed within temperature- and …
Brevia
Governmental Government Dean Douglas W. Elmendorf, Ph.D. ’89, who concluded his service as director of the U.S. Congressional Budget Office (CBO) last March, has been named dean of the Harvard Kennedy School, effective in January. A macroeconomist, …
Issue: September-October 2015
Harvard Football Great Performances: Vic Kennard ’09
Had COVID-19 not hijacked the Ivy football season, among so many other activities, the Harvard team would be back at the Stadium this Saturday, attempting to avenge last season’s 17-10 overtime loss to resurgent Columbia. Instead, we again will take a …
The Upside
Not all leaders maintain a positive worldview, but many do, motivating themselves to do their hard work, and encouraging those they lead to engage and enlist their own energies. In the midst of a pandemic emergency that has upset essentially every …
U.S. Representative Blasts Harvard’s Discipline
On September 26 , U.S. Representative Virginia Foxx (R-North Carolina), chair of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, issued a press release in which she “denounced Harvard University for its refusal to hold those responsible for the …
A Painting Gets a Bath
Three lines, bent and blue, were painted on a creamy canvas in a day. Kenneth Noland’s 1964 abstract sensation Karma helped define “a distinctive voice in American painting” that deviated from the European standard, says Houghton curator of modern and …
Issue: September-October 2025
President Will No Longer Chair Faculty Meetings
At the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) meeting on March 7, President Lawrence S. Bacow used his “President’s Business” time to introduce a surprise change in a hallowed tradition. Saying that he wanted to address “the role of the president in chairing …
A Bold Business Agenda
Srikant Datar had to overcome two disadvantages upon assuming his responsibilities as dean of Harvard Business School (HBS)on January 1, 2021: taking office in the middle of an academic year, and amid the pandemic. He did so by drawing on all his …
Issue: March-April 2022
The $16-Trillion Virus
The final tally of economic damage caused by SARS-CoV-2 will have to wait for the pandemic’s end, but in the meantime, two eminent economists have estimated the cost in the United States alone at $16 trillion. Eckstein professor of applied economics David …
Harvard Square's Best
During the worst early days of the pandemic in Massachusetts, the Harvard Square Business Association sent drones overhead to capture the ghost-town feel of the streets. The result was a haunting video of shuttered stores and cleared roads, devoid of …
Issue: September-October 2021
Human and Machine Intelligence
Harvard celebrated the launch of the Kempner Institute for the Study of Natural and Artificial Intelligence on Thursday afternoon with a whirlwind of performance art, presentations, and panel discussions centered on the institute’s mission: elucidating …
Harvard President Claudine Gay Resigns
President Claudine Gay, who was named president in December 2022 , assumed office last July 1, and was formally installed in a Harvard Yard ceremony on September 29 , today announced her resignation. Provost Alan Garber will serve as interim president. …
Sarah Ganz Blythe New Art Museums Director
Sarah Ganz Blythe , deputy director, exhibitions, education, and programs at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum (RISD), has been appointed Cabot director of the Harvard Art Museums effective August 12, interim provost John Manning announced today. …